Russia has taken over control of the International Space Station, after NASA gave it to them earlier in today.
US astronaut Tom Marshburn had been the commander of the orbiting outpost for just over a month, but ahead of his return to Earth he transferred control to Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev.
This 51-year old becomes the 67th Commander of the Space Station and 31st Russian to take the position.
After six months on orbit, four astronauts including Marsburn are returning home.
Before leaving, Marshburn had to hand Artemyev the ceremonial key to the station, which the American called a ‘place of peace’.
Following a six month stay aboard the International Space Station for six months, four astronauts have returned to Earth. From left, the European Space Agency’s Matthias Maurer, plus NASA astronauts Tom Marshburn, Raja Chari, and Kayla Barron are due to splash down off Florida tomorrow (Friday)
US astronaut Tom Marshburn was the commanding officer of the orbiting station for less than a month. But, before he returned to Earth, he handed control over to Russian OlegArtemyev (pictured center). He and fellow cosmonauts Sergey Korsakov and Denis Matveyev caused a stir when they arrived at the ISS wearing yellow and blue flight suits, which some claimed resembled the Ukrainian national colours
It happened just days following Russia’s announcement that it would withdraw from the International Space Station to retaliate for economic sanctions placed worldwide on Moscow in relation to the war in Ukraine.
Dmitry Rogozin was the general director for Roscosmos Russian Space Agency. He stated that Moscow wouldn’t continue to cooperate with the international partners at the ISS and confirmed that it had made the right decision.
Despite Artemyev assuming responsibility as station commander, overall command of the orbiting laboratory still lies with ground-based flight directors unless there is an emergency on board.
A veteran of three spaceflights to the space station, Artemyev will now remain in charge until the end of summer.
One European astronaut and three NASA astronauts climbed onto a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule soon after 05:00 BST (00:01 ET). They left the space station just over one hour later.
Marshburn stated that he believes the legacy of space station will be one of international cooperation and peace during yesterday’s webcast ceremony of change-of-command.
Marshburn stated to Artemyev that Oleg is a strong, experienced and skilled cosmonaut. Marshburn stated, “I am certain that we will be leaving the station in safe hands with you.”
Artemyev answered in English: “Thanks for the key, and thanks for the friendship.
He said, “It was an incredible time together,” adding that he stressed the importance of friendship and cooperation for family, children, and peace among our nations.
Marshburn and Artemyev hugged each other as Marshburn applauded.
The four departing astronauts have been working alongside Russian cosmonauts and became part of history when they hosted the first all-private crew to visit the orbiting outpost last month.
Three NASA astronauts, one European and one Russian astronaut climbed onboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule just after 05:00 BST (00:00 ET), and then left the station within an hour.
Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, and Kayla Barron, as well German-born European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer, will spend 23 hours flying home before splashing down off the coast of Florida at about 05:43 BST (00:43 ET) tomorrow (Friday).
SpaceX Crew Dragon is expected to hit Earth’s atmosphere more than 22 times faster than sound. As they approach the Earth, the crew will be subjected to intense G-forces.
Endurance is a craft that will parachut into the sea and carry some 550 lbs of cargo.
NASA broadcast live today video that showed the capsule moving away from the station while the two aircraft soared high above Australia.
The four astronauts in white-and black spacesuits and helmets were strapped into the crew compartment shortly before spacecraft left the station. They orbited approximately 250 miles (405 km) above Earth.
A sequence of brief rocket thrusts autonomously pushed it safely past the ISS. The capsule then lowered its orbit so that the spacecraft can be aligned for atmospheric reentry or splashdown.
‘Teams from @NASA & @SpaceX now are targeting #Crew3 undocking at 1:05 am Thurs, May 5 from @Space_Station,’ NASA human spaceflight chief Kathy Lueders said via Twitter today, referencing times in ET.
Marshburn, Chari (61), Barron (44) and Barron (34) arrived on the space station’s surface last November 11, 2013. Maurer (52) was there.
The ‘Splashdown of Florida’s coast will take place on Friday, May 6, at 12:37 AM. The new undocking time allows for shorter phasing & more time to review the latest forecast info.’
She added: ‘Weather is being watched closely to confirm selected primary & alternate sites are good for return, and we’ll conduct another weather review about 24 hours before undocking to determine whether we are GO to proceed. There will be more.
Marshburn (61), Chari, 44, and Barron (44) arrived at the station on November 11, last year. Maurer (52) was also present.
The departure of the team came just one week after their arrival aboard station. This station is also home to three Russian long-term mission cosmonauts.
NASA stated that Oleg Astemyev was one of those cosmonauts who took over command of International Space Station (ISS) from Marshburn. This handover occurred before the undocking on Thursday.
NASA broadcast live today showing the capsule moving away from the station while the two aircraft soared high above Australia earlier in the day.
NASA-ESA’s team that flew home today was officially designated Crew 3 by SpaceX, which is the third space station-launched full-fledged crew of long-duration astronauts.
A private astronaut team, which was part of a contract SpaceX had with Houston-based Axiom Space, left the station in April. The mission lasted two weeks.
Three wealthy businessmen — who each paid $55 million (£41 million) to take part in the trip — were joined by a former NASA astronaut for the history-making mission, which was organised by startup company Axiom Space.
Canadian investor Mark Pathy, US entrepreneur Larry Connor, ex-Israeli Air Force pilot Eytan Stibbe and retired astronaut Michael López-Alegría had been due to spend eight days carrying out scientific experiments on the space station.
They were delayed by bad weather, which meant they had to work alongside seven government-paid crew members for 16 days.
NASA-ESA’s team that flew home today was officially designated Crew 3. This is the third long-duration, full-fledged group of astronauts SpaceX has sent to the Space Station for the US Space Agency.
SpaceX, a California company, was established in 2002 by Elon Musk (a billionaire) who has recently closed a deal for the acquisition of social media platform Twitter.
Over the last two years, seven spaceflights have been launched by the company.
EXPLAINED – THE $100 BILLION INTERNATIONAL SPACES STATION SLITS 250 MILES AROUND THE EARTH
The International Space Station (ISS) is a $100 billion (£80 billion) science and engineering laboratory that orbits 250 miles (400 km) above Earth.
Since November 2000, it has been permanently manned by rotating teams of astronauts and cosmos.
Although crews have mostly come from Russia and the United States, the Japanese space agency JAXA as well as the European space agency ESA also send astronauts.
Since its inception, the International Space Station (ISS) has been continuously occupied by astronauts for over 20 years. It has seen numerous upgrades and new modules.
Research conducted aboard the ISS often requires one or more of the unusual conditions present in low Earth orbit, such as low-gravity or oxygen.
ISS studies have investigated human research, space medicine, life sciences, physical sciences, astronomy and meteorology.
The US space agency, NASA, spends about $3 billion (£2.4 billion) a year on the space station program, with the remaining funding coming from international partners, including Europe, Russia and Japan.
So far 244 individuals from 19 countries have visited the station, and among them eight private citizens who spent up to $50 million for their visit.
The future of the station is still up for debate beyond 2025. It is believed that some elements of the original structure may be deemed obsolete by then.
Russia is a key partner of the station and plans to launch an orbital platform with AxiomSpace, a private company, around that time. It will also send its modules to the station for commercial purposes.
NASA, ESA and JAXA, as well as Canada’s Space Agency (CSA), are joining forces to create a space station orbiting the moon. Russia and China also have similar projects, which would include a base at the surface.